The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid
by AliasCWN
Summary: Headquarters comes up with a plan to disrupt the German supply lines but Troy finds a way to improve on it.
1. Chapter 1

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By;AliasCWN

Chapter 1

The first halftrack entered the cut between the hills, its crew on high alert. The convoy they were escorting was spaced out behind them in single file, each truck maintaining a strict distance between vehicles according to regulations. Each driver eyed the hills that loomed over them with unease, their eyes searching for any signs of an imminent attack. With their destination only an hour away, this was the last good spot for the enemy to launch an ambush. Of course, every driver present knew that the Allies had a certain small unit that roamed these hills and were known to appear out of nowhere and show up when least expected. Just because the desert flattened out after this gap didn't mean that they were home safe.

The first halftrack reached the other end of the gap and picked up speed on the flat desert floor. Suddenly a jeep appeared above the convoy, racing along the top of the hill. The 50 caliber gun in the back of the jeep began to rattle with deadly fire. The truck drivers stomped on the gas, expecting the heavy caliber bullets to start hitting the trucks. To their surprise and delight German guns returned fire, forcing the jeeps to withdraw. On the other side of the gap the scene repeated itself with another jeep and more German guns. The convoy drivers watched as the jeep's occupants admitted defeat and charged off into the desert. Thinking the battle was over; the convoy drivers slowed their trucks and waited to see who had driven the Americans off.

A slight poof drew the attention of one of the truck drivers. He heard the whistle of the incoming mortar round and looked to see what had drawn the fire. The shell hit the truck in front of him, setting off the explosive cargo. Shrapnel hit the driver in the face as the 88 shells in the truck detonated. He didn't live to see any of the carnage that followed. The mortar teams decimated the convoy by trapping it in the gap after taking out the first and last trucks. Men screamed and abandoned the trapped vehicles as the mortars continued to rain down on them.

The commander of the convoy tried to organize his men to mount a defense but many of them were already dead. He called desperately for his men to take cover behind the halftracks assigned to escort them. He was still trying to rally the men when the firing stopped. The mortars stopped falling around them and the only sounds were burning trucks, exploding ammo, and the screaming of wounded men.

A voice called out from above in German asking them for their identification. The commander of the convoy cautiously walked up the hill to meet the commander of the attacking force. Both men were surprised and dismayed to learn that their opponents in this battle were fellow Germans.

Back at the base the commander of the attacking force tried to explain his actions to his commanding officer.

"I don't know how it happened." Lieutenant Dietz repeated. "We went to the coordinates we were given and this was the only convoy we saw."

"Couldn't you see that they were German?" Major Taltzman demanded angrily.

"Yes Sir." The lieutenant admitted. "But the message you gave me said that the Americans had captured the convoy and were trying to sneak through in their place. I thought that they had pretended to be German in order to complete the subterfuge."

"So you opened fire without checking?" The Major snarled. "You destroyed almost the entire convoy and killed half of the men from those trucks. Why would you attack without checking?"

"We were watching them Sir, hoping to determine if they were imposters when we were attacked."

"Yes." The Major answered. "You reported being attacked by two American jeeps. It sounds like the Allies have sent their Rat Patrol to stop our convoys. It was only a matter of time really; we have been getting a lot of convoys through to supply our front lines. I'm sure that they want to disrupt our supply lines; but they were obviously American, that had nothing to do with the convoy."

"They were attacking us Sir," the lieutenant clarified, "but they looked like they were protecting the convoy. I thought that since they were trying to drive us off that I had the convoy of imposters in front of me. Why else would they try to stop us from attacking our own convoy?" The lieutenant's confusion was evident in his tone.

Major Taltzman paused to consider the lieutenant's words. He was fair enough to admit that Lieutenant Dietz had a valid point. Why had the enemy tried to defend the convoy? What were they up to?

German high command had sent word that they had decoded some messages from the Allies. According to the messages, the Allies had captured a convoy and were going to use it to spearhead an attack on the German supply lines. Major Taltzman had sent out a column to find the imposters and destroy them. That plan had backfired disastrously. Lieutenant Dietz had hit the wrong convoy, destroying it and striking a huge blow to the German moral.

"Perhaps they made a mistake."

"Major?" Lieutenant Dietz was once again confused. "What kind of mistake Sir?"

"Perhaps they were the ones who got the convoys confused." The Major smiled. That explanation certainly made more sense than the Americans protecting a German convoy. "We have more than one convoy on its way here right now; perhaps they caught up to the wrong convoy. " The Major nodded as he looked at Lieutenant Dietz. "That must be it. They attached themselves to the wrong convoy. They probably didn't realize that there was more than one out there."

"Then the imposters are still on their way here." Lieutenant Dietz gasped. "I will order my men to go back out immediately to look for them."

"No Lieutenant." Major Taltzman shook his head. "It's too late. I'll have headquarters send some planes to stop them. A convoy of that size cannot hide from planes. If we're lucky, perhaps the Rat Patrol will be with them and we can get them too." The Major smiled at his plan and called for his aide. "I'll arrange for the planes to take off immediately. Perhaps they can still reach the convoy before it reaches the flat desert where it can spread out."

Lieutenant Dietz nodded at the Major's plan but there were shadows in his eyes. He'd made one mistake that had cost German lives; he hoped that the Major wasn't making another one.

A short time later the planes took off in search of the convoy of imposters. They searched the desert for the convoy they were supposed to destroy. They hadn't spotted anything on the flat desert floor near the base so they were extending their search into the hills where the other convoy had been stopped.

Dust rising above the desert floor was the first sign that there was something moving below them. The lead pilot radioed to his fellow pilots to alert them to the dust. One by one they acknowledged the message and fell into position as he angled in that direction.

When the convoy came into range the heavily loaded trucks were crossing an area filled with loose sand. The drivers were struggling to keep the big trucks moving with the bad traction.

The lead pilot reached for his radio to try to contact the convoy. His repeated calls went unanswered as they made two separate passes over the line of trucks.

A call from one of the other pilots alerted him to the sighting of two small vehicles racing along in front of the convoy. They were far enough ahead that it was doubtful that the convoy could see them but it looked like they were running interference for the trucks. The trucks followed along the same path without slowing or seeming concerned by the American jeeps. The lead pilot tried one more time to contact the convoy. While he waited for an answer he saw the jeeps turn and head back toward the line of trucks.

"It looks like this is the convoy we were told to find and destroy." The lead pilot called to his wingman. "The American jeeps are heading back to warn them. We need to attack before they are alerted."

"Are we sure?" One of the other pilots asked over the radio.

"They have not answered my calls and the jeeps are headed back to warn them. What else could it be? They must be the imposters." The leader tipped his wing to turn toward the convoy. "The convoy first and then we'll go after the jeeps. We have orders not to allow the imposters anywhere near the base." Starting his run on the convoy he called to his fellow pilots. "Follow my lead."

The two jeeps halted as they spotted the planes dropping lower in the sky.

"It looks like they are going after the convoy." Hitchcock called to Troy.

Troy nodded, his eyes on the planes. They did indeed look like they were going to attack the convoy. The sergeant turned and looked toward the other jeep.

Moffitt sat in the rear of his jeep holding a metal box in his lap. He smiled and nodded at Troy's inquiring look. "Are you thinking of helping them?"

"No, that would only tip them off to their mistake. I think we should just let them do it." Troy smiled with satisfaction. "They did a pretty good job on the last one."

"Then I would suggest that we find some cover and get the jeeps under the nets. After they finish that convoy I have no doubt that they will turn their attention to us." Moffitt checked the metal box again to make sure that it was still doing its job.

"Keep jamming their radio just in case."

"Right-o." Moffitt leaned forward and tapped Tully on the shoulder. "Off we go." Tully's jeep took the lead while Moffitt looked for a hole they could crawl in and pull in after them. The German planes would soon be looking for them and the desert was hot enough without the added stress of dodging four planes at once.

Moffitt found a suitable wadi and Tully and Hitch jumped out to cover the jeeps with netting. Troy and Moffitt immediately began to erase the tracks where they had left the road and drove onto the wadi. In the distance they could hear the planes dropping their bombs and making strafing runs at the convoy. There was a strong smell of fuel and cordite in the air as ammo trucks exploded and fuel burned. The planes continued to attack as the four men secured their jeeps and prepared to wait out the search for them. With every precaution they could manage having been taken; they took cover under the nets and dug in. The trucks continued to explode in the distance even as the sounds of the planes drew nearer. Each man tensed, prepared to pull the netting and make a fight of it if it became necessary.

The sweat rolled down their faces, making rivulets in the fine grit that covered their skin. The net allowed a small breeze to pass through but it didn't block out the sun enough for the breeze to make much of a difference.

"Here they come." Moffitt whispered into the silence under the netting.

"They're still looking for us," Troy spoke loud enough for all of them to hear, "I don't think they found where we left the road."

"That doesn't mean they won't shoot up every likely spot just for fun." Tully drawled.

"They used up a lot of ammunition and fuel hitting that convoy." Hitch pointed out. "Maybe they'll make a few passes and head for home when they don't find anything."

"The radio." Troy said suddenly. "See if you can find out which frequency they're using."

Moffitt nodded and stood up under the netting to reach the radio. The others kept their eyes on the plane while the sergeant adjusted the knob in search of a signal. At first only static sounded over the radio, but then they heard a voice speaking in German.

"What's he saying Moffitt?" Troy demanded anxiously.

Moffitt held up a hand to signal that Troy should wait but the other sergeant was watching the planes, not him.

"Moffitt?"

"Just a minute, let me listen."

The planes made a pass directly over them and all four of them tensed.

"I think they're leaving Sarge." The lean private from Kentucky drawled. "Maybe Hitch was right; maybe they are low on fuel or ammo."

"I don't care why they leave as long as they leave." Troy answered.

"They are reporting that they destroyed the American convoy disguised as a German convoy and, oh my…"

"What?" Troy turned awkwardly under the netting to question the Brit.

Moffitt didn't answer. Instead he asked a question of his own. "How do you feel Troy?"

Troy frowned at the question and looked down at himself to see what had prompted it. "What? Why?"

The British sergeant smiled as he pulled off the headset and wrapped the wires. "I was just wondering how it felt to be dead. I guess I could answer that question myself though since I seem to be dead too."

"Dead? What are you talking about?"

"Those pilots reported to the base and said that they destroyed the convoy."

"You said that already. What does that have to do with us being dead?"

The Brit shrugged. "Apparently they had radioed the base earlier and reported sighting our jeeps leading the convoy."

"So, we wanted them to think that we were with the convoy."

"It worked. They reported that we were either scouting for the convoy or escorting it. It would seem that they were then ordered to destroy us too." Moffitt explained. "When they radioed this report they were asked about us."

Troy nodded; it made sense that the Germans would want to know if they were still out there.

"The pilots just reported that they managed to kill both of our gunners but the drivers managed to escape with the bodies." Moffitt smiled at Troy's expression.

"Covering their lies? A ground force won't be able to confirm anything if the bodies are gone."

"How are they going to explain your resurrection the next time?" Hitch asked with a grin. He chewed happily on his gum as he waited for an answer.

"Not our problem." Troy laughed. " Let them figure it out."

"Hey Sarge, does this mean Tully and I don't have to take orders from you anymore?" Hitch popped a bubble as he teased the sergeant. His eyes sparkled with laughter as he waited for a response.

"Disobey an order and find out." Troy warned with a mock growl.

Hitch sobered instantly at the sergeant's tone. Turning to apologize, he was taken back by the amused gleam in Troy's eyes. His smile returned as he saw the grin on the sergeant's face, not as broad as before, but still bright.

"Moffitt, stay on the radio for a few more minutes, make sure they aren't coming back. Hitch, hand me a canteen, being dead is thirsty work." Troy nodded his thanks as the blond handed him the canteen. He uncapped it and took a few swallows of the tepid water as he listened for the planes to return. He could hear ammunition still exploding from time to time but he couldn't hear the planes.

The others took their turn with the canteen, drinking while they had the chance. Troy didn't need to explain that he wanted to make sure that the planes were gone before he uncovered the jeeps. Moffitt monitored the radio but he didn't catch any more chatter from the pilots.

"Okay," Troy nodded, "Get these nets off and we'll head back to the base."

"Just a minute Troy."

Troy turned and watched as Moffitt turned the dials on the radio. It wasn't long before they heard an irate voice shouting in German. The sergeant listened for a moment as the other three waited expectantly. Finally he turned the radio off and put the headphones away.

"What was that all about?" Troy asked.

"The convoy got through to the base on the radio."

Troy nodded, since they were no longer jamming the signal he had expected that to happen.

"The commander of the convoy is more than a little upset with the pilots." The Brit smiled.

"Do tell." Troy grinned in return.

"He's demanding help for his wounded. He claims he still has two trucks full of ammunition he needs to deliver. The commander of the base is also upset; he's blaming the pilots. It seems that he's going to demand that the planes be sent back out to cover the convoy until they get those two trucks delivered safely."

"Any idea how long it will take them to get back here?"

"They have to return to their base to refuel first; maybe forty-five minutes to an hour." The Brit guessed. "The commander is saying an hour but he says that he's demanding that they make it shorter."

"Two trucks full of ammunition huh?"

"That's what he said."

Troy glanced around at his little group and smiled. "We can manage two trucks, can't we?"

Troy didn't have to say another word as the others nodded and smiled. The privates pulled the netting, folded it, stowed it, and climbed into their seats, ready to go. The sergeants checked their 50 caliber machine guns, loaded new belts of ammo, and prepared for action.

The convoy commander never had a chance. He was still trying to get organized from the earlier attack and care for his wounded when two small jeeps flew over the top of the hill and took a run at his two remaining trucks. The Germans ducked for cover as the 50 caliber machine guns opened fire. They hugged the sand even closer as the ammunition in the trucks began to explode. Luckily for them the convoy commander had had the two trucks parked away from the area where the man gathered. His concern about the planes returning had paid off in an unexpected manner. He watched helplessly as the trucks burned and the two American jeeps vanished as quickly as they had appeared.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

"So they fell for it?"

"Hook, line, and sinker." Troy nodded as he reported the results of their assignment to Captain Boggs. "They sent a column to attack the first convoy we shadowed. We made it look like we were trying to protect the convoy to aid in the deception. We destroyed three halftracks from the column before we allowed them to drive us off. Their mortar teams and the remaining halftracks decimated the convoy before they realized their mistake."

"And the second convoy?"

"We were driving ahead of that one Sir." The sergeant explained. "They sent planes out to get that one. Moffitt jammed their radio transmissions so that the pilots weren't able to contact the convoy. They did a pretty through job on that one too. The planes were looking for us too but we had time to disappear while they were hitting the convoy. After the planes left Moffitt monitored their transmissions. The convoy commander reported that two trucks full of ammunition had survived the attacks so we made sure the planes were gone and we finished the trucks off before we returned to base."

"Good work Sergeant." Captain Boggs beamed happily. "Headquarters will be more than pleased with the results. To be honest with you, I didn't have a whole lot of faith in the plan to begin with. Sending out a fake message claiming to have captured a convoy is one thing; convincing the Germans that we were using that convoy as cover to sneak our troops in for an attack seems a bit far-fetched. I can tell you that I doubt that any other unit could have pulled it off."

"Not so far-fetched Sir." Moffitt argued, ignoring the compliment to the team's abilities. "The Germans attacked not one, but two, of their own convoys believing that they were manned by imposters."

Captain Boggs sighed. "Too bad it won't work again. Those convoys are supplying a lot of supplies to the German front lines. As long as they still manage to get through to that base the base will continue to supply the German troops. Our guys are getting stuff through too but it would save a lot of lives if we could cut the enemies supply line."

"Maybe we can make it work for us again Sir." Troy began as an idea began to form.

"How Sergeant? You said yourself that you didn't think they would fall for it again."

"That's true enough Sir, and I still believe that." Troy agreed. "The next time they'll be more careful about what they hit. They'll probably make sure to check the convoy's credentials before they attack."

"So the subterfuge won't fool them again?"

"Not the way we did it this time." Troy answered.

"How then?"

"I was just thinking Captain, what if we really did capture a convoy without them knowing it? We could load it with our own men, and our own weapons, and drive it right up to that base and launch an attack. We'd catch them completely off guard."

"Captain Boggs shook his head. "You said that they would check the identity of the next convoy."

"Probably Sir, but I was thinking, we could repeat the message about capturing the convoy. Maybe even add a little more information to point toward the one we capture."

"They'd wipe it out before our guys had a chance!" Boggs argued.

"I don't think so Sir. I think that they would suspect us of trying to get them to attack it again. They might send someone to meet it, but again, we would have the element of surprise on our side. We could jam their radios again, forcing them to do a face to face meeting. My unit could watch for them and warn the convoy before they made contact. With a little planning I think we could capture or destroy the column sent to make contact. Even if they got a message out it would look like we were protecting the convoy, just like the first one. I think we could confuse them enough to make it work."

"You mean you actually want to pretend to be German and try to sneak up to their base?"

"Yes Sir." Troy replied.

"If something goes wrong and those men get caught in German uniforms they'll be shot as spies." The Captain exclaimed.

"Not necessarily Sir." Troy responded neutrally. "It's hot out there. Even the Germans feel the heat. Their drivers have been known to drive shirtless. Our guys could wear their own uniforms without a shirt. Anyone seeing them would only see them from the waist up if they stay in the trucks; they wouldn't be able to identify the difference in uniforms. If the men in the back stay away from the tailgates they wouldn't be seen either. We have the Germans confused right now, let's take advantage of it, and hit them where it really hurts."

The Captain thought about it for a minute before he nodded. "Okay Sergeant, let me run it past headquarters. If they agree we should get started right away before the Germans have time to catch their breath."

"We'll get the jeeps ready and wait for their decision Captain. Maybe we can close that supply line completely."

"I'll send their answer as soon as I know. Are you sure that you can capture a convoy without them knowing?"

"We'll need help Captain, and enough men and supplies to fill the trucks once we get them. And we'll need to transfer any prisoners back here without the news getting out."

"Perhaps it would be better to hold them at anther base, somewhere a bit further away where they won't be immediately associated with the convoy." Moffitt suggested.

"That might be better, less chance of a spy making the connection." Troy agreed.

"I'll mention it to headquarters if they decide to go along with the plan." The Captain promised.

"If we can pull this off Captain we may have a chance to take that base by surprise. Any chance we could get some air support? Those planes that hit the second convoy didn't come from too far away. Once we launch our attack they'll probably call for them to help defend the base."

"I'll make sure that you have anti-aircraft guns and teams." The Captain promised.

"No chance of air support then?"

"I don't know Sergeant; I'll run it past headquarters if they agree to the plan. I'll do my best."

"All right Captain, but remind them of what we have to gain if this works."

"I will Troy. Get your jeeps ready and I'll go try to get you permission to try this."

Troy nodded, saluted, and left the office followed by his men.

"What do you think Moffitt?" Troy asked as they hit the street.

"It has a fairly good chance of success." The Brit admitted. "The first plan worked out well for us. By now the German commander has received reports on both convoys. I'd be willing to bet that the next time he'll be more cautious. He won't want any more mistakes. We have done considerable damage to his supply line already."

"Yeah," Troy replied, "but not enough. They'll just send out more convoys. Shutting that base down would cut off their access to supplies."

"I have no doubt that it will be a critical factor in the upcoming offensive." The Brit answered slowly.

"But?"

Moffitt paused in his answer, thinking it through.

Troy watched as the other sergeant weighed the pros and cons of the plan.

"Actually Troy, I don't have any 'buts' to mention. Taking the base will require a fight, even with the element of surprise on our side. My only real concern is getting support if we run into trouble."

"The Captain said he'd try to get us air support."

"He didn't seem too confident that it would actually happen though. Those planes could be the deciding factor in whether or not we manage to take that base."

"Maybe we need a few more tricks up our sleeves." Hitch suggested.

"Such as?" Troy asked.

"We'll be able to drive those trucks right up to the base, right?" The blond asked.

"Don't count on it Hitch." Moffitt cautioned. "I'm sure that there will be questions ask at the gate before they allow the trucks to pass through."

"Okay, so we work with that." Hitch shrugged.

"How? Just what do you have in mind?"

"We could blow the gate Sarge. Put explosives in the trucks and set them to blow when they reach the gate."

"And who is going to drive up there and blow themselves up?"

"No one, we'll set the timers and get out." Tully guessed.

"That or we aim them at the walls and jump." Hitch suggested.

"Even if they explode before they actually touch the walls they could still do a lot of damage." Moffitt agreed, looking toward Troy. "It would make it easier for our troops to breach the base."

"What about the drivers?"

"Tie the steering wheels so they won't turn and jump far enough away for the drivers to get clear." Tully smiled as he suggested a method that he had used successfully in the past. "Like Doc says, they don't have to actually hit the walls to do damage."

"Okay." Troy nodded. "You two restock the jeeps and make a list of any explosives you think you will need. If the Captain gets us permission to go I'll ask him for a requisition for the explosives. The troops coming along can carry them for us until we need them."

"You're forgetting something aren't you Troy?" Moffitt warned.

"Like what?"

"Oh, just a little matter of capturing a convoy without the Germans knowing we did it."

Troy grinned. "Piece of cake."

Moffitt raised an eyebrow.

"We'll jam their radio, hit them at night, and take them out before they have a chance to wake up."

"They'll be expected to report into their base in the morning before they pull out for the day. How do you plan to handle that?"

"We'll get one of them to cooperate."

Troy looked so confident that Moffitt let the matter drop. They had had tougher assignments and things had worked out.

"No more objections?"

Moffitt smiled. "No, but I must admit, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

The others laughed.

"All right then, let's shake it."

Two hours later the order came through to go ahead with the plan. Troy caught Captain Boggs up on the updates they had talked about while they waited and the Captain agreed to all of their changes. The only thing the Captain hadn't been able to secure had been air support. He promised to keep working on it while they went about carrying out the plan.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

"They'll probably find a wadi and stop for the night." Moffitt watched the German convoy through binoculars as the desert sun began to slip down behind the horizon.

"Any suggestion as to a likely wadi?" Troy asked the question without lowering his glasses, counting the trucks that lumbered past.

"There are a few wadis just ahead that would work for a convoy of this size." The Brit answered after thinking for a moment.

"All right." Troy sighed. "We'll just have to follow them until they pick one. Captain Olsen and his men can hang back until the convoy gets settled. I'll send Hitch and Tully back to explain what's happening. Once we know where they're going to camp we can move the men up and come up with a plan to take the convoy."

"That seems wise. If anyone can guide that column here in the dark without being detected, it's Hitch and Tully."

"Yeah." Troy grinned. "I'm counting on it."

"There's only about another hour of daylight left." Moffitt glanced at the sky. "They're going to want to set up camp before it gets completely dark. They won't want any campfires after it gets dark. They'll heat their meals and put the fires out as soon as they eat."

Troy nodded. "It's going to be a cold one for us too."

Moffitt smiled. "Hitch and Tully will have to eat as they drive. At least we can sit in relative comfort and try to enjoy our meal."

Troy snorted in response. "Yeah, right."

"Shall we get them on their way? If they leave now they'll have a little light to drive by, at least part of the way."

"I just hope they don't run into any German columns while they're alone."

"They know what they need to do Troy. Trust them."

"Oh I trust them Doctor, but things can go wrong pretty quick, even when you're careful." He turned to return to the jeeps.

The two privates were well on their way before the German convoy stopped for the night. Troy and Moffitt watched from the top of a nearby hill as the trucks pulled into the wadi and set up camp. The vehicles were lined around the base of the wadi to act as a windbreak for the sleeping men. Soldiers hurried to build fires and heat their meals before the officers came around and ordered them to douse the flames. Even though they were a large force, and well within territory that they controlled, they wouldn't give away their position by leaving a fire burn after darkness fell.

"Let's let them get settled before we move in and check their defenses."

Moffitt nodded and turned away from watching the convoy. "The lads should be almost back to the column by now."

"Yeah," Troy agreed, "but it will take longer to get back in the dark. They're going to have to make sure that the Captain's men don't make any noise. We'll have to meet them far enough back that the engines don't give us away."

"Tully and Hitch know that; I'm sure they'll be watching for us for just that reason."

"I hope they didn't run into any trouble."

Moffitt smiled at Troy's unintentional show of concern for the younger rats. "They'll be fine Troy."

"All right." Troy shook himself and tried to forget about his concerns for his drivers for the time being. "I was thinking that we could take out the guards and then surround the camp with Captain Olsen's men. We'll have to jam the radio so they can't get a call off to their base."

"I can do that." Moffitt stated calmly. "We know what frequency they're using; it will be a simple matter to cut off their access to the base."

"I don't want the trucks shot up if we can help it. Bullet holes would look suspicious. Besides, I'm sure the Germans know how many trucks are in this convoy. If they arrive a few trucks short I'm sure the base commander is going to ask why they didn't report any attack or problems. We don't want them suspicious before we're ready."

"It's going to take some serious sneaking skills and more than a bit of luck to get that many men into position without alerting the camp." Moffitt warned.

Troy shrugged. "We'll manage. The guards will have to be taken out; maybe we can do that before Captain Olsen's men move in."

"Of course."

"I've got an idea."

"About how to take the camp without getting a lot of men killed?"

Troy grinned. "That's the general idea."

"I'm listening."

"Okay. We take out the guards, move Captain Olsen and his men into position, and then toss a few non-lethal charges into the middle of the camp. When they go off the krauts will duck behind the trucks for cover. That will put them on our side of the trucks with their backs to us. You call down and make them aware of the situation and give them a chance to surrender."

"And if they don't?"

"Then we'll try not to shoot too many holes in the trucks." Troy replied dryly.

"It might work." Moffitt smiled at his friend.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Not at the moment."

"Then we'll go with mine. While we're waiting for the others we can check out the positions of the guards and get a count of how many men we're dealing with here. Once we've done that I want to backtrack a bit and wait for Tully and Hitch. We can lay out the plans for Captain Olsen and explain what we have in mind." Troy paused as he turned to go and Moffitt didn't follow. "Something wrong?"

"I was just wondering if we were going to eat first or eat in the jeep while we wait for the others."

"Are you telling me you're hungry?" Troy grinned.

"We haven't eaten since this morning and we're going to be rather busy in a little while; I just thought that we could take a few minutes to get some sustenance before that happens."

"Yeah, okay, we have time to eat; it's not dark enough to move anyway."

"There won't be much of a moon tonight, which should work in our favor." Moffitt noted.

"Maybe." Troy responded. "We'll be harder to spot but they may be more alert because the dark makes them nervous. We'll have to be quiet."

Moffitt dug out their rations and they ate them cold. It was a silent meal as both men became lost in their own thoughts.

"We'd better go." Troy finally broke the silence. "We need to spot the sentries and time them before we go to meet the others."

Moffitt buried their garbage and followed the other sergeant to the hill where they could watch the German camp. Glasses in hand, they studied it in detail. By the time they returned to their jeeps they knew more about the German camp and its routine than most of the German soldiers in the camp.

Pulling out of the wadi they backtracked a few miles and waited for Tully and Hitch to lead the American column to them.

Troy took first watch and stared out into the desert as he went over the plans in his head. Everything he could do he thought he had accounted for in the plan. There were always unexpected things that could arise but he had tried to anticipate everything he could. It helped that the German soldiers in general tended to be very predictable when it came to their actions. They were very punctual and followed strict routines. The average German soldier was encouraged to wait for orders rather than think for himself, they were so indoctrinated in that respect that they seldom even questioned those orders. That was Hitler's mistake, Troy thought, he didn't like his people to think for themselves. He liked good little soldiers who followed orders and didn't ask questions.

Troy couldn't say how that was working out for the Third Reich but he had used it to his advantage on more than one occasion. As he looked out across the black landscape he wondered what his unit would have been like if his privates had been conditioned like the German troops. Both of his privates tended to think for themselves, not always a good thing, but not always bad either. They were both smart and capable soldiers and their ideas had paid off on more than one mission. They didn't disobey orders, at least not without a good reason, and never any major order.

He remembered the time that Hitch had ignored what he said and followed him when he went to check on Moffitt. Moffitt had been captured and Troy had orders to kill him rather than let him be questioned by the Gestapo. He almost shot Hitch before he realized who it was. Only his hesitation to shoot and give away his position had saved the young soldier. He knew Hitch did it for all the right reasons but he could still remember the sinking feeling he'd experienced when he realized what he had almost done.

There had been other times, not many, but a few. Nothing that had really hurt anything, just little things that had proven to him that the others needed to be given as much information as he could so that they understood the reasons for the orders.

Even Moffitt had defied his orders occasionally. When Hitch had been wounded, with shrapnel next to an artery, he had wanted the others to wait while he took his driver to a German field hospital for care. It was Moffitt who had insisted that either they all go or no one went. They'd all gone and Hitch was alive because of it. Things had gotten hairy for a bit there but they had all made it through and it had only cemented their bond stronger.

Tully was less likely to openly defy him but even he had his moments. Tully was cautious by nature and was uncomfortable with any of them taking any unnecessary chances. He wasn't against taking chances, just unnecessary ones. And he wasn't against disobeying orders either; he was just sneakier about it. He tended to be more subtle. With Tully, if you didn't watch him closely you might miss it.

The sound of a jeep motor pulled him from his musings. He couldn't see anything but he could follow their progress by the soft purr of the engine. It sounded further away than it was because the engine was so quiet. He gave a sharp whistle to alert Moffitt and walked out to meet the jeep.

"Everything okay Sarge?" Tully drawled as he left the jeep roll to a stop next to Troy.

"Fine." Troy nodded. "How about your end?"

Tully nodded and shifted his matchstick. "The column is about a half mile behind us. We didn't want the krauts to hear the engines."

Moffitt smiled as he walked up to hear Tully's explanation.

"How far ahead are they Sarge?"

"About two miles." Troy replied. "We didn't want the krauts to hear the engines either."

Hitch grinned in the passenger seat and nudged Tully's arm.

"Yeah, I know, you told me so." Tully muttered as he pulled his arm away. "We told Captain Olsen to keep moving until he hears from us. Do you want us to go back for him or just wait until he catches up?"

"We'll wait for him here. Did you two eat?"

Both privates shook their heads.

"Okay, eat while I fill you in." Troy ordered. "Moffitt and I scouted the camp and we have a plan. We'll need to move the last half mile on foot. We'll leave a driver for each truck so they can bring them up once we take the convoy." Tully was nodding as Troy outlined his plan.

"No one spotted the column since we saw them last, did they?" Moffitt asked.

"Not that we're aware of Doc. Captain Olsen said that they haven't seen anyone since we left them."

"That's good news." Moffitt decided.

"Hitch, can you make me half a dozen small, non-lethal, charges we can toss into the German camp?" Troy asked his driver.

"Sure Sarge, I can have them ready in about ten minutes. Just let me know when you want them."

"Get them ready now; I'll explain everything once Captain Olsen and Lieutenant Harrison arrive. Then we'll drive as close as we can and walk the rest of the way."

"Right Sarge."

"Okay, grab something to eat. You may not get another chance for quite a while. Grab something for Hitch too; he'll be done with the charges and have a few minutes to eat."

"Right Sarge." Tully nodded as he turned away. Before long his head was buried in the gear in the rear of the jeep looking for rations.

When Troy turned back to the other sergeant Moffitt was smiling. "What's wrong with you?" Troy asked gruffly.

"Oh nothing Troy." The Brit smiled.

"Out with it!" Troy growled.

Moffitt cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. "I was just thinking; you weren't worried about eating yourself, but you made sure they ate."

Troy frowned at the other sergeant. "You said it yourself, we won't have much time later."

"Yes I did." Moffitt admitted with his smile firmly in place.

Troy frowned again, shook his head, and walked away. The thought that he was getting soft briefly crossed his mind but he pushed it away to concentrate on the mission.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

Troy, Moffitt, Tully, and Hitch each led a group of soldiers to their assigned positions. Captain Olsen had listened to Troy's plan and gave it his approval. Now they were creeping across the desert as quietly as possible to surprise the unsuspecting Germans. Before they had even left the trucks the men of the Rat Patrol had personally inspected the Captain's men to be sure that they weren't carrying anything that would rattle, squeak, jingle, or shine. Each man was warned of the consequences if they were detected before they could get into position. With so many lives at stake there was no room for error.

Once they were in position Troy and Moffitt moved closer to the camp so that Moffitt could call to the German soldiers when the time came. Tully and Hitch, at a nod from Troy, moved silently to take out the guards.

Moffitt couldn't see very well in the dark but he could make out the moving shadows, darker than their surroundings, that were the sentries. He watched as one of them stepped around a boulder in his way as he circled the camp. There was a brief flash of movement as a second dark shadow seemed to merge with the first and then both shadows vanished soundlessly behind the boulder. The whole event had taken mere seconds and no one in the camp seemed to notice. A minute later one of the shadows reappeared and resumed walking the perimeter.

Turning toward the other side of the camp, Moffitt watched as the second guard continued to walk his rounds. He couldn't be sure but something looked familiar about that one. He watched anxiously as the two guards met, exchanged nods, and spun on their heels to retrace their steps. With a sigh of relief he recognized Tully's rolling gait. Tully had taken his guard down while Moffitt had been watching Hitch. When Hitch reached the rock they were hiding behind he gave a nod and continued without a pause.

Troy turned and signaled Captain Olsen's men to move closer and take up their final positions. As he waited he shifted the charges Hitch had made from one hand to the other. Giving Moffitt an encouraging nod he moved closer to the camp.

Moffitt began the slow countdown in his head. His hands tightened on his weapon, mentally preparing for the chaos that Troy was about to unleash. Even though he knew what to expect he still jumped when the first of the charges exploded. In the flashes from the second and third ones he could see the Germans scrambling from their beds to seek cover. Excited voices called back and forth asking for directions or explanations. He took a deep breath and prepared to give them both.

"You are surrounded! Do not move! Drop your weapons and surrender!"

At his call Troy sent a volley of gunshots over their heads.

"You are surrounded! Don't force us to kill you! Surrender!"

A shot rang out from a foolhardy German soldier who had decided to fight. Several of the hidden Americans returned fire and the foolish German jerked and fell to the ground.

"Do not move!" Moffitt repeated. "Drop your weapons and raise your hands!" More shots rang out as more Germans tried to find cover. "Do not move!" Moffitt repeated slowly, stressing each word. "No harm will come to you if you surrender peacefully."

There was a long pause before the first weapon hit the sand. One by one, others followed. Another soldier tried to resist and his body fell at the feet of his friends. Defeated, the remainder of the Germans dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

Captain Olsen ordered his men to move in, cautioning them to be careful. Two more Germans made the choice to fight as they were taken prisoner. They were luckier than those who had resisted earlier. Now that they were closer the Captain's men used their rifles to club them to the ground rather that shoot them. The prisoners were disarmed, searched, and crowded together in the center of the camp where they could be watched.

"I must admit, that went much better than I expected." Captain Olsen said as he watched the prisoners sullenly seated in the dirt.

"That was the easy part." Troy cautioned.

Captain Olsen grunted. "Don't remind me." He eyed Troy curiously. "Did the krauts really shoot up two of their own convoys?"

"Yes Sir. Mortars took out one and planes destroyed the second one." Troy confirmed with a smile.

"But you don't think they'll bother this one?"

"Maybe not." The sergeant answered warily.

"We believe that they'll try to make contact and confirm our identity before they try anything else." Moffitt explained when the Captain looked alarmed.

"Do you have a plan in case that happens?" The Captain asked. "Captain Boggs said that this was your idea and I should follow your lead; but I must admit I'm a little skeptical here."

"There are too many variables." Troy admitted honestly. "We'll have to play it by ear and figure it out as we go. No one has ever tried anything like this before, at least not as far as I know."

"Maybe for good reason." The Captain suggested.

"Maybe." Troy nodded. "But if it works…."

The Captain made a face at Troy's unfinished sentence. "Yes I know, we'll have a huge advantage." The officer looked around at the prisoners and the men guarding them. His men were all looking quite pleased with themselves. Swallowing his misgivings, he decided to lean toward optimistic. "All right Sergeant, this is your show. What next?"

Troy grinned. "Lieutenant Harrison and his men will take the prisoners to one of our bases to be processed. We've opted for one of our further bases to avoid the danger of some spy ratting us out. He'll take them back in our trucks while your men go ahead in the Germans trucks."

"I understand that part." The Captain agreed. "I was just wondering what sort of reception we could expect. Is there anything we can do to prepare?"

"We'll try to head off any reception committee Captain. If we can't head it off we'll send you a warning. Just remind your men to stay out of sight during the day unless we clear the area first. All it takes is one German, or the wrong Arab, to see an American uniform and the cat's out of the bag."

"Understood Sergeant. I've explained the plan to my men so they understand the importance of staying out of sight."

"That's good to hear Captain; I've found that giving my men as many details as possible works to our advantage in a pinch."

"I agree Sergeant."

"Right now all you can do is let your men get some rest. The Lieutenant is going to start out tonight and get away from here before he camps for the night. That way if he is spotted they may not connect it to this convoy. We will have to get some information from one of the prisoners before they leave. I am going to have Sergeant Moffitt radio their base tomorrow morning before we pull out to report everything is fine. We'll need the codes and the protocols that they are using."

"I'll need to get a message to headquarters too." The Captain added.

"Send it out with Lieutenant Harrison Captain; we can't risk the Germans intercepting a message from this area. The Lieutenant can make the call after he gets away from here."

"All right Troy, I'll let the Lieutenant know." The officer went off to give his men their assignments and tell the others to get some rest leaving Troy and Moffitt to get some much needed rest themselves.

Morning came much too early for most of the men. They grumbled and moaned about the cold, the sand, and the early wake up call. Only the prospect of a warm fire and hot coffee eased their complaints.

Troy sat sipping his coffee as the camp shook itself awake. He glanced around his own small camp as his men went about their duties with no complaints and no fuss. Tully and Hitch were going over the jeeps while their breakfast heated over their small campfire. Moffitt had the maps out reviewing the terrain that they would be crossing during the day. He made note of all of the trails that the Germans could use to intercept them and marked any alternate routes they could use. Each route would have to be carefully checked before the convoy reached it.

"Morning Sergeant." Captain Olsen approached the small fire with a cheerful greeting.

"Morning Sir. Coffee?"

"I think I will thank you. Our own coffee hasn't finished brewing yet. You and your men must be early risers."

"Yes sir, and sometimes we're just getting to bed about now." Troy explained as he poured a cup of coffee for the Captain.

The officer used the hot coffee to warm his cold hands, wrapping them around the mug and breathing in the aroma.

"Something bothering you Captain?" Troy asked after the Captain remained uncharacteristically quiet.

The officer looked up from his coffee with a troubled expression. "I had a long talk with Captain Boggs before we left."

Troy nodded and waited for the officer to continue.

"He told me he couldn't guarantee air support. He's still working on it but he didn't sound too hopeful."

"He told me the same thing." The sergeant admitted.

"Am I taking these men on a suicide mission Sergeant?"

Troy didn't answer right away, choosing his words carefully. "We have a better than fair chance of pulling this off Sir. Men are going to die, maybe on both sides, probably on both sides." He corrected thoughtfully. "But is this a suicide mission, I don't think so. There are bound to be some surprises along the way, things we can't anticipate, but as long as we're prepared to roll with the punches I think we can win this thing. My advice Captain, keep your eyes open and your plans fluid. If an opportunity presents itself, be ready to take advantage of it. So far the krauts don't now we're here, and if we can keep it that way we'll have a big advantage at the base."

The Captain lowered his head and sipped his coffee. "I hope you're right Sergeant."

"It's always worked for us Captain."

"So I've heard." The officer forced a smile and sighed. "All right Sergeant, we'll do our best to roll with the punches. Captain Boggs has great faith in you, and I've known him for years, I trust his judgement."

"We'll do our best not to let him, or you, down." Troy promised.

"That's all anyone can ask." Captain Olsen smiled. He drained his cup and handed it back to Troy. "Thanks for the coffee, and the pep talk."

"Any time Captain."

Moffitt walked over as Captain Olsen left. "Trouble?"

Troy shook his head as he finished his own coffee. "Pre-battle jitters." He explained. "The Captain is worried about his men."

"Are you?"

"No, his men will be fine. He told them the plan so they know what we're trying to do. They did fine last night in the dark, they'll be okay." Troy poured himself another cup of coffee.

"But the Captain doesn't think so?"

"It's not that." Troy explained, looking at the men sitting around the camp. "He's worried that this is a suicide mission and he's leading all of them to their deaths."

"The price of being an officer."

"Yeah. That's one of the reasons it's not for me. I have enough trouble worrying about the four of us."

"He's a good officer, his men respect him, and he cares about them. I don't understand the ones who think their men are expendable because they are so easy to replace."

"Yeah." Troy's tone suggested that his thoughts were elsewhere.

"I think it's time we head out Troy, before we over-think this whole idea."

"Yeah, let's shake it."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 5

The convoy made it through the entire morning with no problems. The Rat Patrol, in their two jeeps, scouted the area for a safe place for them to stop for their noon break. They chose an oasis that offered trees for shade and cover. The trees offered protection from prying eyes since the soldiers were still wearing their American uniforms. They were only allowed to leave the trucks in small groups and only if they stayed within the shelter of the trees. They weren't taking any chances on anyone spotting them.

The Rat Patrol circled the oasis as an added precaution while the convoy was there to make sure that no one snuck up on them. The men ate, stretched their legs, and returned to the trucks. As soon as the last group was loaded they were on the move again.

"We need to stick to a strict schedule." Troy had explained. "The Germans are very methodical about their habits."

Shortly after leaving the oasis one of the jeeps raced toward the convoy. Captain Olsen, in the lead truck, leaned forward and eyed the jeep with apprehension. Troy had Hitch pull the jeep up next to the truck and keep pace with it so they could talk without stopping the convoy.

"The Germans have planes watching this area." Troy warned. "Moffitt says that there are two headed this way."

The Captain glanced at the sky with a frown. "There is no place to hide a convoy of this size. What do we do?"

"Wave at them." Troy grinned. "We're German and they're our planes. Just give them a casual wave when they fly over and keep going. No sudden moves, no change in direction, just a convoy headed for our base."

"What if they try to contact us?"

"Moffitt is jamming their radios. We'll be close by but we have to stay out of sight. We led them right to the last convoy; they won't fall for that again. Pass the word to your men to stay calm and stay out of sight as much as possible."

"All right Sergeant, I guess this is the test, right?"

"Yes sir," Troy replied, "only they don't know that we have a cheat sheet."

Captain Olsen tried to copy the sergeant's attitude but he was worried about his men. As the jeep drove away he was wondering if they were seeing the last of it.

The planes appeared less than fifteen minutes later. They flew low over the convoy, so low that Captain Olsen could make out the features of the pilots in their cockpits. As they drew near the Captain put an arm out the window and waved casually. He was glad that he had followed Troy's advice and told his men to drive shirtless. His own undershirt matched those worn by the Germans close enough that it would fool anyone from a distance. He knew it wouldn't fool ground troops if they stopped them, but if that happened, they were already in trouble. Whispering a short but heartfelt prayer, he listened as the planes flew along the line of trucks.

The planes banked and came back for a second pass and the captain braced for the expected barrage of bullets. To his surprise the lead plane tipped his wings in an aerial salute and turned away from the convoy. The captain let out an audible sigh and turned to look at his driver.

The private driving the truck had a death grip on the wheel and his face had gone a ghostly white. The captain slapped him on the arm because he looked like he had forgotten how to breathe. "Breathe private, they're gone."

The driver rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "That was way too close Captain." He blushed as he realized what he had said. "I mean, that was close Sir."

"Relax private," Captain Olsen laughed shakily, "you were right the first time; that was way too close. But we fooled them and they won't check us out again." The Captain said as confidently as he could manage. He hoped that his driver wouldn't notice him watching the sky during the remainder of their journey.

The jeeps returned ten minutes later and Troy again had his driver keep pace with the lead truck. "That went well."

The Captain smiled at the sergeant's optimism. "It was a bit nerve wracking."

"But you handled it perfectly." The sergeant praised. "We were watching from the hill. I don't think they'll be back."

"How much longer until we reach the base?" After their close call the captain was eager to reach their destination. His nerves were on edge and he suspected that his men felt the same. A little action was just what they needed.

After an hour and the planes hadn't returned the Captain was finally able to relax. Troy had provided him with detailed maps of the German base so that he could plan his attack. They had even spent two days observing and taking notes on the routines at the base. He knew where the guards were stationed, how many there were, and how often and when they were changed. He had a count of the base personnel as of two days ago. The tanks and armor had been counted and an estimate of their arsenal had been added.

With all of that information he had a pretty good idea what he would be facing and it wasn't going to be a cake walk by any means. Even with the element of surprise they were still going up against well trained troops, well dug in and defending their home territory.

Troy had said that he and his men would take care of the armored vehicles. Captain Olsen didn't know how they planned to do that, and he had his doubts, but Captain Boggs was a believer, and he trusted Boggs. Now if only Captain Boggs could come through with the air support. The trucks rolled on as his thoughts went round and round.

His driver called his name and he realized that the private was looking at him with a frown.

"Are you all right Captain?"

"I'm fine." He smiled reassuringly. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Ahead Captain," the driver nodded toward the windshield, "the jeep is waving us off the road."

Captain Olsen looked ahead and saw Troy standing by his jeep waving them toward a cut in the hills.

"Follow his directions private." The Captain ordered.

"I hope he's not going to ask us to wave at any ground troops."

"Don't worry; I don't think he'd ask us to do that." The Captain glanced at his watch. "We must be getting close to the base."

The sergeant waved them into the cut between the hills where Moffitt showed them where to park. Troy followed the last truck into the cut.

"We're going to go see what we can do about the armor stationed at the base. We should be gone about an hour."

"What if someone stumbles on us in here?" The Captain asked.

"Post guards." Troy suggested. "If you see anyone headed this way keep your eye on them. Hide if you can, fight if you have to. If their armor is out here we'll know soon enough and we'll be back." The sergeant grew solemn as he glanced at the men standing around waiting for answers. "Things are fluid from here on out Captain. We take advantage of every opportunity and strike when the time is right. You'll be hearing from us one way or the other within the hour."

"Understood Sergeant, good luck."

"Thank you Sir, but we prefer to make our own luck. See you in an hour." Troy turned, called to his men, and climbed into the jeep that his driver had brought up next to the trucks.

As the jeeps pulled away Captain Olsen began to organize his men to defend their temporary camp. He sent guards out with orders to report anything, no matter how small. The men in camp were told to go over their gear and make sure that everything was in order. He glanced at his watch; the next hour was going to be a long one unless the guards spotted something. He decided that he'd rather suffer through the long hour. As the minutes dragged on he walked among his men offering any encouragement that he could. It pleased him that they seemed to be calm and ready to go on with the mission. A half hour later the Rat Patrol returned with news; only he couldn't decide if it was good news or bad news.

"Most of the armored vehicles are gone Captain. We don't know where they went or when they'll be back. Everything looks quiet at the base so maybe they're on a routine scouting trip. In that case they won't go far. They could return at the first sounds of battle from the base. On the other hand, they could have escorted a supply convoy to the front lines, and they won't be back for a few days."

"What do you suggest Sergeant?"

Troy didn't hesitate. "Attack Sir. If you can secure the base before they get back you can cut them off from fuel and water. Keep them moving, make them run out of fuel, they'll have to surrender or die."

"And if they return before we take the base?"

"We'll do our best to keep them busy Captain. We can handle the halftracks, but I'm afraid the tanks will give us problems."

The Captain considered his options. "You're probably right; the base will undoubtedly be easier to take with the column gone. I just don't like the idea of getting caught between the base and the column if they return."

The sergeant didn't offer another suggestion; he allowed the Captain work it out for himself.

"All right Sergeant, we'll do it that way. You and your men will distract the armor if they return?"

"Yes Sir."

"All right; whenever you're ready Sergeant."

"We're ready now Captain. Other than the missing column everything looks the same as it did when we were here last. We'll be jamming their radios so that they can't get a call out to either the column or another base." Troy paused, not sure if the Captain wanted to hear another suggestion.

"Go on Troy, what else?"

"It's just this Captain; one of my men thinks he has a way to breach the walls, or maybe the gate."

"Go on."

"He says we can rig the trucks with explosives and ram the gates or the wall before it explodes. You can launch your attack while they're trying to figure out what happened. The commander of the base moved the enlisted men's quarters close to the gate so they would be on hand if they are attacked. If we blow the gate we may even do some damage to the barracks."

"Could we delay the one at the gate until they start to respond to the others?"

"Maybe Captain, the issue there would be sending it into the gate while giving the driver time to escape."

"It would be a help if we could catch them coming out of the barracks."

"We'll work something out Captain. If you get your men loaded we'll show you where to drop them off and I'll have Hitch get the charges ready for the trucks. We'll need a few volunteers to drive the trucks."

"All right Sergeant, but how will they escape once they get the trucks headed in the right direction?"

"They'll aim them at the walls, tie the steering wheel so it can't turn, drop a weight on the gas pedal, and jump. We'll follow in the jeeps, pick up the drivers, and bring them back to their units. Once the trucks blow you can use the remaining trucks to move your troops closer."

"We're going to soften them us with mortars before we try the walls." The Captain explained. "Will you be available with your 50s?"

"Unless someone spots the column returning we'll be there Captain. Just let us know where you want us?"

"Will do Sergeant." The Captain called to his junior officers to get the men loaded and ready to begin the attack.

Tully and Moffitt led one group around the base so they could come in from the other side. The men were eager to get out of the trucks and do something besides ride around in the hot, dusty boxes. Tully and Moffitt returned with the news that the men were in position. They were still not using the radios because Moffitt was once again jamming the German radios so that they couldn't call for help.

While the Captain positioned the men who would attack the front of the base Hitch wired the charges in the trucks that would blow the walls. The volunteers who were going to drive the trucks watched the procedure with interest.

"How does this work?" One of them asked as Hitch finished one truck and moved to the next one.

"I've wired the charges to a detonator." Hitch explained as he worked. "You'll drive the trucks up to within about fifty feet of the wall. Just before you jump you need to aim it directly at the wall. That's important! Get it in position so it will hit the wall straight on. Try to pick a spot that has a clear path to the wall, no ruts or big rocks or anything. See this cord?" He held up a cord that he had tied to the seat springs.

"Yeah." The soldier nodded.

"This cord will hold the wheel straight so the truck won't veer off course. All you have to do is hold the wheel straight, loop the cord tight around the wheel, and drop this weight onto the gas pedal. Open the door and roll out onto the ground and stay down until we come to pick you up." Hitch made eye contact with the men and tried to warn them. "If you try to run they will cut you down so stay low and hug the dirt."

"What if they shoot at us?" Another of the volunteers asked.

"Just stay down." Hitch repeated. "They'll be more worried about the trucks than about you. We'll be right behind you giving you cover fire until we pick you up."

"This your idea?" A third driver asked.

"Yeah." Hitch admitted as he finished the second truck.

"Then if we survive this I think you owe us a beer." The driver grinned.

"You're on." Hitch grinned back. "Look me up when you get back to the base."

"We'll hold you to that." The first driver promised.

They watched in silence as Hitch finished the third truck. Then, to be sure that they understood, he walked them through the instructions again. They were nodding that they had it when Troy and Captain Olsen walked up.

"Ready Hitch?"

"Ready Sarge?"

"Get the jeep, the Captain and his men are ready to start."

The blond nodded, gave the volunteers a thumbs-up, and hurried off to get the jeep.

"Well Sergeant, we'll soon see if all of your calculations were correct."

"Good luck Captain."

"Thank you Sergeant, for everything. Without your help I doubt that we would have made it this far without being detected. After this is over, I'd …."

The Captain was interrupted when a private ran up to him with a flushed face and handed him a note. He took the note, read it, and his face paled.

"Something wrong Captain?" Troy asked.

"Our guards have spotted the German armored column. They're heading this way, returning to their base."

Troy glanced at the trucks and then at his jeeps. "We can delay the column Captain but you're going to have to take the base on your own."

"I know Sergeant, but how are my drivers going to get away after they jump from the trucks?"


	6. Chapter 6

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

Captain Olsen ordered two of his mortar teams to fall back and reposition so they would be in place to fight off an attack from the rear. The Rat Patrol was going to try to delay the armored column but he didn't think they would be able to stop it altogether.

"How close is the column?" Troy asked.

"Still several miles out but the dust cloud is getting closer."

"Send the trucks in Captain. We'll pick up the drivers, drop them off, and go right out for the column. We'll buy you all the time we can Sir."

"I guess that's the best we can hope for Sergeant. I'll alert my men so they know what to expect. We'll wait for the explosions to signal the attack." Captain Olsen hurried away as Troy waved the volunteers to their trucks. He left his own team know the situation and they pulled the jeeps in line behind the trucks.

As planned, the trucks drove to within sight of the base using the road. According to the plan the jeeps were to stay out of sight until the trucks were closer. The signal to split up and aim for the walls was the arrival of the jeeps with their guns blazing. At the first sound of gunfire the trucks were to leave the road and aim for the walls on either side of the front gate. That is, the first two were aiming for the wall, the third one was to stay on the road and aim for the gate.

The third truck slowed as the others split off, giving them a head start. Their drivers would be the first to jump and be picked up. The jeeps followed those trucks, using their heavy caliber machine guns to force the Germans on the wall to duck for cover.

The drivers dove out the doors and hit the ground as their trucks kept moving. Both drivers hugged the ground, waiting for the jeeps. They didn't have long to wait. A roar of an engine and spraying sand announced their arrival. The men jumped to their feet as the jeeps slid to a stop between them and the German base. Scrambling for the empty passenger seats they grabbed on for dear life as the little vehicles converged on the road where the third driver was just leaping from his truck.

One jeep roared past him, making a swing close to the base. He was on his feet and ready when the second jeep paused next to him. With one hand he grabbed onto the strap holding the hood and windshield down. Crouching across the hood, he tried to make himself a smaller target.

The force of the blast from the other two trucks rocked the tiny jeeps. The driver of the third truck had to use his second hand to keep from sliding off of the hood. Twisting around, he watched as his truck hit the gate and exploded in a ball of flames and smoke.

"Yeah!" He yelled, giving the jeep's driver a triumphant grin.

"Time to get off." Troy yelled over the sudden roar of battle. The rest of the Americans had joined the fight as soon as the trucks detonated.

Stunned that everything was happening so fast, the volunteers merely nodded and slid from the jeep. The little vehicles left them standing in a cloud of dust as they took off to engage the returning column.

"I guess that's our cue to go back to work." The third driver suggested to the others. Still pumped from their close brush with death and their success, they picked up rifles and joined their unit.

The jeeps sped across the desert toward the armored column. They didn't have to look for a dust cloud; the German vehicles were close enough to see clearly. At the sound of the explosions the column had increased its speed and was now racing toward the base. Three patrol cars, lighter than the armored vehicles, were in the lead. Six halftracks were next, slowly pulling ahead of the three tanks bringing up the rear.

Troy yelled and caught Moffitt's attention. Waving toward the patrol cars he told Moffitt to cut them off. With guns blazing, the Rat Patrol went into battle.

Hitch didn't try to cut in front of the German cars. Driving straight toward them, he played a dangerous game of chicken. Worried about Moffitt and Tully, the German driver didn't keep his full attention of the fast approaching jeep. Watching Moffitt and Tully, he didn't notice the second jeep until it was almost on him. With a startled cry he jerked the wheel to the side. Troy raked he car with bullets as it swerved violently, throwing its passengers off balance. The car exploded as hot lead hit the gas tank.

Tully and Moffitt cut in front of the patrol cars, forcing them to change course slightly. They returned fire, leaving a neat line of holes in the jeep's fender. Tully turned sharply as soon as they passed and put Moffitt into position to toss a grenade at the last car. The occupants joined those from the first car in their dance of death.

The driver of the second car tried to retreat to the protection of the halftracks. Tully and Moffitt blocked his way as Troy and Hitch came up behind him. The Germans jumped as Troy took aim at their fuel tank. They rolled clear as the car burst into flames and came to a stop.

Ignoring the Germans on foot, the jeeps turned their attention to the halftracks. The first two came at them side by side. Tully drove his jeep right down the middle, putting his vehicle between the two heavier ones. The German soldiers hesitated, afraid of hitting the soldiers in the other halftrack; Moffitt had no such concerns. His bullets tore into the crew of one halftrack while Tully tossed a grenade into the other one. They were clear and racing toward their next target before the grenade exploded.

Meanwhile Troy and Hitchcock had troubles of their own. Two of the halftracks had circled around to come in behind the fleet little jeeps. Moffitt and Tully avoided the attack when they cut in between the vehicles that had made the mistake of taking them on side by side. They raced out the other side in the clear but Troy and Hitchcock had nowhere to go.

If they continued straight ahead they would run into the tanks. As fast as they were they were no match for the lumbering behemoths. The two halftracks tried to squeeze them using one of their own tricks. The jeeps often attacked from either side of a convoy, but to avoid hitting each other, they kept one jeep ahead of the other. The Germans tried to copy that move, one halftrack forged ahead of the other, firing at the dodging jeep. The second halftrack held back and fired on them from the other side. The only problem with their plan was that they weren't firing on a line of jeeps; they were both aiming for the same one.

Hitch ducked as bullets whizzed past his head. Bending low over the steering wheel he zig-zagged back and forth, throwing off the aim of the German gunners. Just when it seemed that they had compensated for his evasive maneuvers and the bullets were coming closer, he changed tactics. Hitting his brakes hard, he fought the wheel as the tires bit into the hard packed sand. The little vehicle slid out of control for a moment until the tires could get a grip, then he hit the gas and spun the wheel.

The halftracks couldn't counter the maneuver fast enough to save themselves. The first one forged ahead and the driver tried to turn to re-engage the jeep. Between its size and its weight, it had to make a large circle even after slowing down.

Meanwhile, the second halftrack drove past the spinning jeep, it too unable to stop as quickly as its quarry.

Troy spun his 50 as the halftrack flashed past and let loose a volley of bullets aimed at the fuel tank.

The flash of fire when the fuel tank exploded nearly singed Hitch's hair. The blond felt the heat on his face as he fought for control of the jeep.

As soon as the tires caught, giving Hitch control again, the jeep took off in pursuit of the other halftrack. The German gunner had spun his heavy machine gun around and was taking aim at the jeep following them when his chest suddenly burst under the impact of Troy's lead.

Another soldier pushed the body aside in an attempt to take over the gun. The second soldier's body fell on top of the first when Troy again found his mark. Two more soldiers suffered wounds and fell from sight below the armored side of the halftrack. With the gunners out of action Hitch caught up to the other vehicle and Troy tossed a grenade into the rear. The wounded men jumped over the sides and hugged their heads as the grenade exploded. The heavy vehicle rolled to a stop with the driver slumped over the wheel. Troy leaned forward and tapped his driver on the shoulder, sending him after another target.

Moffitt and Tully were engaging a single halftrack that had separated from the others. Tully deftly drove his jeep into the smoke billowing from the burning vehicles they had destroyed earlier. The German driver tried to follow him, squinting to see in the black, oily smoke. Tully made a tight turn and circled the burning hulk, surprising the German driver by appearing behind them. The gunner tried desperately to spin his gun around but the grenade landing near his feet distracted him. Yelling a warning he dove for the desert sand. With another enemy vehicle disabled, Tully and Moffitt looked for another opponent.

One of the tanks fired and Tully's jeep rocked violently as the shell landed nearby. Moffitt yelled for him to 'go' even as he hit the gas. The little vehicle responded by leaping ahead like a greyhound out of a starting gate. They were at their top speed before the tank's gunner could reload.

Hitch and Troy were dancing around with the final halftrack, circling them, looking for an opening. Tully pulled a knob on his dash and thick black smoke erupted from the rear of his jeep. Glancing back at the tank, Tully carefully timed his next move. When he thought the tank was going to fire again, he made a beeline for the halftrack. The smoke from his jeep obscured the view of the halftrack from the tank crew. At the last possible second Tully turned sharply to the side while increasing the smoke. He had barley completed the turn when the tank fired another shell.

Moffitt ducked as he heard the tank fire. He expected the shell to land close to them since Tully had waited so long to turn. He expected to be pelted by sand and bits of stone as the shell exploded. He even gave consideration to small bits of shrapnel from the shell, but he got so much more.

Large bits of shrapnel flew past him as Tully twisted and turned to avoid the shell. The sergeant looked back to see the final halftrack blackened and shredded by the shell. Having been concentrating on the tank he hadn't even realized that the halftrack was there. He looked at his driver and Tully threw him a huge grin over his shoulder. Moffitt laughed as he realized what Tully had done and he gave his driver a thumbs-up.

The two jeeps converged and Troy pointed at the tanks. There were three of them and Troy wasn't sure how they were going to keep them distracted without falling to their guns. The whistles of incoming mortar rounds made them all duck as they looked for the source.

Troy quickly realized that their running battle with the German column had brought them closer to the base. He made a mental map of where the Captain had positioned his rear guard, especially his mortar teams; the mortar shells had given him an idea. Waving toward the mortar teams to hold their fire, he hoped they understood his meaning.

Moffitt and Tully raced past them, dodging another tank shell. The shell was long and hit in front of the jeep, forcing Tully to hit his brakes. Both jeeps were now dodging for their lives.

"Moffitt! Moffitt!" Troy yelled and waved frantically even as he urged his own driver forward. He finally got the other sergeant's attention and waved them in the direction he wanted them to go.

Moffitt nodded and leaned forward to give Tully instructions. With the tanks giving chase they raced across the desert toward the base.

Troy glanced at the hills where he thought the Captain's rear mortar teams were stationed. There hadn't been any firing from there but he couldn't be sure if that was because they had understood his message or if it was because they weren't there. Committed to his plan, he urged Hitchcock closer to the hills.

The tanks followed, slower, but determined to rid the desert of those pesky jeeps. Troy hoped that they wouldn't break off the chase before he had a chance to maneuver them into position. If the mortar teams were there the tanks would be within range in just moments. Troy braced to get out of the way.

As the jeeps pulled ahead of the tanks the first mortars shrieked across the sky. Troy glanced back in time to see the middle tank take a direct hit. It turned to the side and lurched to a stop. More shells whistled overhead as they streaked toward the remaining tanks. The German crews tried to get out of the trap but the Americans had their range. One by one the tanks fell silent. Smoking hulls and blackened shells were mute testimony to the accuracy of the mortar teams.

The two jeeps rolled to a stop and surveyed the carnage. There were survivors stumbling from the wreckage but they were dazed and for the most part unarmed. On foot with American troops between them and their base, they didn't offer much of a threat. Troy decided to let the Captain's men gather up the stragglers. He decided that they could do more good helping to take the base before reinforcements could arrive. Tapping Hitch on the shoulder, he pointed toward the battle still raging for the base.

"Troy!"

At Moffitt's call Troy had Hitch stop the jeep and wait for Tully to pull up alongside. "Yeah, what is it?"

"The radio jammer Troy, it took a direct hit."

"So the base probably called for help?"

"I would have if I were them." The other sergeant nodded. "It looks like Captain Olsen's making some headway and I doubt that the base commander would ignore an opportunity to get reinforcements if they are available."

"Yeah, you're right, so I guess we need to be on the lookout for more krauts."

At that very moment two German planes came in low over their heads.

"Planes!" Tully yelled needlessly.

"Get us back to the base!" Troy commanded.

Both jeeps took off, headed toward the base. The planes made a strafing run over the attacking forces. Even over the gunfire Troy could hear the screams of the wounded.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By; AliasCWN

Chapter 7

Tully and Moffitt were in the lead when the planes circled back for another pass. The jeeps split up; each racing to avoid the lines of bullets headed their way. As the planes made a strafing run they each chose a different target.

Tully made a sharp turn, nearly upsetting the jeep in the soft sand. The plane, flying low, passed directly over their heads. Moffitt was too busy trying to stay in the jeep to be able to get the gun into position to fire at the easy target. The plane roared away for another pass before he could correct the problem.

Troy fired at the plane that was chasing his jeep as it began to climb but he knew he had missed. He twisted to spot the second plane and saw it aimed right at them. Hitch dodged the bullets and put on a burst of speed, trying to get into a position that would give Troy a good shot. The planes suddenly pulled up and abandoned their strafing run. Troy looked around but he couldn't see any reason for the change.

The planes changed course and this time both planes were concentrating on the same target. Tully swerved and changed speed as both planes made a run at him. The first one made another strafing run, keeping Tully occupied. Tully ran for a short distance and then did something the pilot never expected. He stomped on the brakes, spun his wheel, and put his jeep broadside to the path of the approaching plane. He waited until just the right moment and then stepped on the gas. For a second he thought that he may have miscalculated, but then the tires caught and the jeep jumped away from the line of bullets in the sand. The second plane, couldn't correct in time so the pilot chose to hold his fire.

The planes split up, each one going in a different direction as they chased the slippery American vehicles. This time one of the planes made a strafing run while the second one opted for dropping a bomb.

Tully watched as they came in, trying to time their speed as he tried to maintain a zig-zagging course. He hit a patch of soft sand and the jeep tipped dangerously. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Moffitt hanging onto the base of the 50 for support, his hands no longer on the handles. Regaining control, the ex-moonshine runner put all of his considerable driving skills to good use to escape the planes.

The pilot making the strafing run anticipated his move and angled his plane in the same direction. As Tully hunched over his wheel and tried to outmaneuver the plane, the pilot opened fire. Bullets tore into the sand alongside the speeding jeep. The little vehicle wobbled precariously as the front tire blew.

The second plane lined up to drop his bomb but his entire plane shook under his hands on the yolk. The aircraft was headed for the ground before he could correct and pull up.

Hitch broke off from chasing Tully after Troy's bullets tore into the belly of the second plane. He saw it shake and lean as the pilot tried to pull up. Turning away, he began to look for the first plane again. He heard Troy yell just as he spotted it coming at them from out of the sun. With a desperate yank he twisted the wheel, trying to get out of the line of fire. The pilot, having had little success with bullets, decided to opt for a bomb this time.

Hitch heard the heavy bomb as it left the bomb bay. The aircraft roared overhead and climbed to get out of the bomb's blast radius.

"Jump!"

Hitch heard Troy's yell over the whine of the plane's engines. Letting go of the wheel, he tucked and rolled out of his seat. He hit the ground hard, knocking the air from his lungs. Holding his hands over his ears, he burrowed as deep as he could into the sand. He could hear the jeep as the engine slowed without his foot on the gas. His last thought was that maybe the jeep would slow enough that maybe the bomb would miss it.

Troy yelled at his driver and then dove for the sand himself. He landed on his shoulder and then rolled into a depression in the desert floor. Covering his ears he ducked a low as the ground would allow. The detonation of the bomb was close enough to momentarily render his deaf. He struggled to his feet only to fall as the world spun around him crazily. He looked for his driver but he couldn't see anything in all of the dust thrown into the air by the explosion. Struggling to his feet again, he almost stepped in front of the other jeep as it slid to a stop beside him.

Tully slammed on the brakes and slid to a stop, narrowly missing Troy as the sergeant took a wobbly step. Moffitt jumped down and grabbed the other sergeant by the arm.

"The plane Moffitt, watch for the plane!" Troy shouted. If Moffitt answered Troy couldn't hear him over the ringing in his ears. "Hitch! Hitch!"

"Troy! Troy!"

Moffitt's voice finally drove out the ringing in his ears and Troy turned toward the sound. He was surprised to find that he was on his knees next to the other jeep. It was disconcerting that he hadn't even realized that the other vehicle was there.

"The plane?" Troy asked in a louder voice than he realized.

"It crashed." Moffitt yelled back. "We managed to shoot it down but not before it released its bomb." The British sergeant tried to get Troy to sit down but it was no use.

"Hitch?"

"Tully's looking for him."

"Looking?"

"We can't see much until the dust settles Troy."

"The jeep?"

"Gone."

"Hitch?"

Moffitt sighed, glanced deeper into the dust surrounding them, and shrugged his shoulders. "Tully's looking." Moffitt reached out to push on Troy's shoulder as the other sergeant tried to rise. "Stay down Troy, you're hurt. Give Tully time to look."

Troy looked down at himself and was surprised by the blood on his shirt. "Didn't feel anything." He admitted after a moment. "Can't hear too well either." He strained to look into the dust. "I yelled at Hitch to jump but I didn't see what happened to him."

"Did he hear you?"

Troy shook his head to clear it. "I don't know."

"Sarge!"

"That's Tully." Moffitt shouted to Troy. "Wait here, I'll go see what he found."

"I'll go with you."

"No. Stay here Troy; I'll take care of that shoulder after I see what Tully needs. Let me check this out." He pushed Troy onto the ground. "Stay here!" With that Moffitt ran into the dust toward the sound of Tully's voice.

The dust was starting to settle but it still hung in the air like a dirty haze. Tully was kneeling on the ground covered from head to toe by the fine grit. Moffitt thought that he looked like a stone statue until he raised his head.

As Moffitt dropped to his knees next to Tully the private turned back to the still form in the sand. If Tully looked like a sandstone statue, Hitch looked like he was part of the desert. He was half buried by the sand thrown into the air by the explosion. His eyes were closed and the sand had sealed them as if they didn't exist. Streaks of blood had formed little rivulets in the grim like droplets of water on a fogged window. Tully lifted his head, trying to wake him.

"Wait Tully; let's check him for any injuries first, shall we?"

Tully nodded but he didn't loosen his grip on his friend.

Moving his slowly and carefully, they checked for more injuries. They found a few pieces of shrapnel in his arm and leg. They weren't too deep and Moffitt was able to remove them easily.

"They must have bounced and hit him." Moffitt suggested. "A blast with that force would have done more damage if it had hit directly."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I hope so Tully. I'm not a doctor but they don't look too bad to me. He was awfully close to that blast." The Brit applied bandages to the wounds and tied them off. "Help me get him into the jeep. Captain Olsen has medics with his group. We can take him there."

Tully nodded an tried to lift Hitch again.

"No." Moffitt placed a hand on Tully's arm. "We'll bring the jeep to him."

Troy was waiting impatiently for them. When they walked back to the jeep alone he slumped to the ground. "Did you find him?"

"Yes." Moffitt replied. "He's alive Troy."

"Where is he?"

"Over there. He jumped but it looks like some shrapnel bounced and hit him." At the flash of worry in Troy's eyes, he hurried to explain. "It wasn't deep and I managed to remove it so it won't do any more damage. We're going to load both of you into the jeep and take you to Captain Olsen's medics."

Troy nodded tiredly and began to push himself to his feet. "Wait, we have to change the tire on our jeep" Troy nodded again and sat down to wait. Once the tire was changed Tully took his seat while Moffitt climbed into the back, leaving Troy the passenger seat. Tully moved the jeep next to Hitch and they loaded him into the rear of the jeep on a bed of blankets.

"Your shoulder has stopped bleeding so I think I'll leave it for the medics to clean. Hold on." Moffitt leaned forward to help hold Troy upright as the jeep began to move.

They found the medics busy caring for the wounded from the battle. Moffitt and Tully dropped off their wounded and went in search of Captain Olsen to report.

"How's it going Captain?"

Captain Olsen turned at the sound of Moffitt's voice. "I thought that you and Troy were going to keep that column busy." The officer demanded.

"There is no column, not anymore." The sergeant reported. "It's all sitting in the desert either disabled or burning."

"You destroyed it all? The tanks too?" The officer sounded incredulous.

"Your mortar team destroyed the tanks." Moffitt smiled. "But we did manage to destroy the patrol cars, the halftracks, and the planes. Let's just hope that they don't send any more planes."

"How did they get word out?"

"Our jammer caught a bullet." Moffitt explained. "I hate to add to your worry Captain but it's more than likely that they asked for help from one of the nearby bases too. " The sergeant warned.

The Captain nodded thoughtfully. "How long do you think we have?"

"This is just a guess, depending on where they come from, but I would estimate two to three hours."

"We're making progress Sergeant, we just may do it. Where is Sergeant Troy?" The Captain's gaze sharpened as Moffitt's eyes dropped.

"Unfortunately, Troy and Hitchcock were injured Captain. They're with your medics right now."

"What happened?" The Captain asked.

"The second plane dropped a bomb on their jeep. They were able to jump clear but they were both caught in the blast."

"Bad?"

"Bad enough Sir, they won't be any help for at least a couple of days."

"At least they're alive Sergeant, be thankful for that. My medics are the best; they'll take good care of them. Once we take the base we'll get them to a hospital."

"Thank you sir, is there anything that Tully and I can do to help?"

The Captain was about to make a suggestion when they heard the planes. "Now what?" The officer sighed as he searched the sky for the aircraft.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By; AliasCWN

Chapter 8

Captain Hans Dietrich told his driver to stop. The smoke they had spotted from miles away was still darkening the sky, only now they could see the source. His eyes followed the trail of wreckage from the patrol cars to the halftracks. Using field glasses he could see the burning hulks of the tanks in the distance. At first the two other plumes of smoke were thought to be vehicles but a closer examination revealed them to be planes.

He could picture in his mind the running battle that had taken place here. Ordering his halftrack forward, he studied the carnage as they passed. There had been death here, of that he had no doubt, but there were no vultures. That simple fact told him that the fight for the nearby base was over. The victors had already collected the bodies from the battlefield. The lack of vultures didn't tell him who had won, but the fact that the wrecked vehicles were all German didn't bode well for his side.

The call for help had reached him earlier in the day and he had immediately left his base with a support column. The trip had taken him half the day and it looked as if it might have been in vain. Not wanting to fall victim to a force strong enough to capture the base, he ordered his driver to drive forward with extreme caution.

The trail of destroyed vehicles told its own tale. Large caliber bullets holes riddled the sides of many of the wrecks. Others showed mute testimony to the power of grenades. The scene was a familiar one to Captain Dietrich, many of his own convoys having fallen victim to the same types of attack.

Moving on to the wreckage of the planes, he noticed a bomb crater. The twisted remains of what was once an American jeep lay twisted and scattered across the sand. He had the driver stop so he could make a closer examination.

"Captain look!" One of his men cried excitedly.

When Dietrich turned the soldier pointed to a bent and twisted 50 caliber machine gun half buried in the sand. Dietrich stepped closer to the wreck and he could make out what he thought was a mount for the heavy weapon in the rear of the jeep. His face twisted into a frown at the implication of the discovery. It looked like his arch nemesis, the Rat Patrol, had played a part in whatever had happened at the base.

Suddenly feeling vulnerable, he ordered his men back to their vehicles. He had the column fall back while his own halftrack continued on. As they approached a hill overlooking the base he had his driver stop. Taking his binoculars, he walked to the top of the hill and surveyed the base.

The American flag flying in front of the office buildings confirmed his fears about the outcome of the battle. He searched the base for the armored column that would have been needed to force their way so far into German territory. He frowned as he realized that there was not a single American vehicle in sight. There weren't even any trucks that could have been used to transport the men needed to take the base.

The thought that the Americans might even now be moving men into position to attack either his column or his base crossed his mind. He scanned the desert behind his column but nothing disturbed the hazy stillness. He returned his attention to the base. The men he saw there looked like they were preparing for a long stay. The uneasiness stayed with him as he returned to his column. The lack of vehicles bothered him since he couldn't think of any reason why the Americans would send them all away. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, he ordered his column to return to their base as quickly as possible.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By; AliasCWN

Chapter 9

Tully was sitting by the bed when Hitch finally opened his eyes. The bandage on his arm pulled tight as he reached for Tully's leg. He gasped and bit back the groan of discomfort.

"Take it easy." Tully leaned over and spoke softly.

"What happened?"

"Does a plane come to mind?"

"Oh yeah." Hitch groaned. "Now I remember. How's my jeep?"

"What jeep?"

"That's what I was afraid of. Is Troy upset?"

"Troy's in the next bed over, sleeping. In fact, just about everybody is asleep, except you." Tully smiled.

"Troy?" Hitch twisted in his bed trying to see around Tully.

"Other side." Tully smiled again.

Hitch turned his head to look the other way. Troy was sleeping peacefully in the next bed. "How is he?"

"Cranky. They won't let him out until tomorrow. He caught a little shrapnel in his shoulder and the blast shook him up. The doctors want to keep you both under observation for a day or two. Things are slow around here right now so they're in no hurry to kick you out."

"How'd it go with Captain Olsen?"

Tully grinned. "The Captain and his men were making pretty good headway even before the planes showed up."

"I didn't think they did that much damage before we engaged them." Hitch mumbled.

"Not those planes." Tully smiled. "Captain Boggs bugged headquarters until they sent some planes to support Captain Olsen. A couple of British planes arrived right after we burned those two German ones. They helped the Captain soften up the base's defenses. A few passes by the planes and the krauts didn't have much left to fight with. They held out for another hour before they surrendered. Captain Olsen and a company of reinforcements are holding the base until headquarters decides what they want to do with it." Tully grinned. "I don't think they really believed Captain Olsen could take it."

Tully shifted in his seat and knocked a pair of crutches to the ground.

"Tully?" Hitch eyed the crutches with concern.

"Nothing to worry about." Tully drawled quietly. "A bullet grazed my leg and the docs want me to use crutches for a day or two. They say it will keep pressure off of the wound."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive."

"What about Moffitt?"

"Doc's fine, not even a scratch. He just left a little while ago. He'll be back in the morning."

"What time is it?"

"Just after midnight. You should be asleep. Do you want me to see if the nurse can give you something to help you sleep?"

"No." Hitch shook his head slowly and carefully. "I think I can sleep without help. You should sleep too."

"You first." Tully agreed.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Tell It Like It Isn't Raid**

By; AliasCWN

Chapter 10

The three privates made their way through the camp looking for a certain tent. On a base of this size there were a lot of tents and they all looked alike. Luckily they had had the foresight to check with someone who knew and got the number of the tent they sought. The sun beat down on them as they walked and they hurried to get out of the heat.

"This is it." One of them called as they reached a tent that blended in with all of the others.

"Are you sure? It looks empty."

"Maybe he's not in there." The third man suggested.

"The guy I asked saw him go in there and he hasn't come out. He's in there."

"Okay, do we call him or do we just go in?"

"I'm not going in without letting him know we're coming." The first man responded. "We'll knock on the tent, if he's in there he'll hear us."

The cautiously approached the tent where one of them reached over to knock on the canvas wall. Before he could touch the doorframe the flap parted and a head appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, hi. What are you guys up to?"

"Looking for Hitchcock." The leader of the trio announced.

"Come on in. He's asleep but we can wake him."

"Are you sure?" One of the trio asked.

"I'm sure." Tully answered. "He's been asleep for a while and he was complaining earlier about being bored."

"We don't want to bother him."

"What's going on Tully?" Hitch's voice carried from inside of the tent.

Tully stepped aside to let the three privates into the tent. "Some of your friends are here to visit."

"Hey." Hitch called when he saw them. "When did you get back to base?"

"This afternoon." The leader of the trio answered. "We've been reassigned. Captain Olsen gave us some time to relax before we move on to our next base."

"I'm glad you stopped by to say hi." The blond smiled brightly.

"Oh, we didn't come to say hi." One of the men answered. One of his buddies hit him in the ribs with his elbow.

"What he means," the leader explained, "is that we came to say hi, and to ask if you want to go for a beer."

Hitch tried to hide a smile. "Sure, a beer sounds good. How about you Tully, could you use a beer?"

"Sure, a beer sounds good."

"And I'm buying." Hitch insisted.

"We were hoping you'd say that." The leader of the trio laughed. "We just didn't know how to remind you of your promise without sounding, you know, like we felt entitled."

"You are entitled." The blond assured them. "You were the only ones willing to drive those trucks. That should mean something; and you should at least get a beer out of it."

"Oh, we're getting more than that." Another of the trio bragged. "Captain Olsen put our names in for commendations."

"Good for you." Hitch praised. "Now we really have something to celebrate."

"You mean surviving isn't enough to celebrate?" The third man asked.

"We'll celebrate that first, and then we'll have another round to celebrate your commendations." Hitch promised.

Tully rolled his eyes and followed the others out of the tent. It sounded to him as if he might have to do a little bit of rescuing if they kept finding things to celebrate.


End file.
